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Millie's a witch, so why can't she do magic?

Despite her mother’s best efforts to teach her, every spell Millie tries goes horribly wrong, but she’s a fabulous cook. When Millie conjures chocolate sauce instead of a transformation potion, her mother gives up and sends her to the Enchanted Forest School, where she’s bullied by goblins, snubbed by an elf, and has her hat stolen. Even as Millie’s magical talent begins to develop, turning her house ghost into a frog and accidentally charming her entire class, Millie starts to wonder: what if she’s not a witch at all? To find out, she and her new friends embark on a dangerous quest to find Millie’s father in the Logical Realm, in contemporary Salem, MA.

Deep in a fantasy realm adjacent to our own, the Enchanted Forest School is located in the branches of an enormous oak tree and has a dragon for a headmistress. Millie’s initial delight in attending school rapidly fades as she struggles in the unfamiliar social environment, encountering fellow students of magical races, making new friends, and discovering that her mother’s style of magic isn’t the only one available.

“In this debut novel, Sanchez brilliantly ties together the transformative powers of cooking and magic. The descriptions of Millie’s kitchen creations, intentional and accidental, will have readers’ mouths watering. A great addition to any children’s collection, this well-written fantasy.” – School Library Journal

“Millie discovers that her gift for food runs far deeper than she suspected, and its uses go way beyond making tempting treats for her friends. Her cooking might even be the key to discovering her own past, including the whereabouts of her father. Sanchez offers a cast of magical, diverse young characters.” – Kirkus Reviews

“A Witch’s Kitchen is a sweet, magical book for middle-school students.” – VOYA

Dianna Sanchez is the not-so-secret identity of Jenise Aminoff, whose superpower is cooking with small children. She is an MIT alumna, graduate of the 1995 Clarion Workshop and Odyssey Online, active member of SCBWI, and a former editor of New Myths magazine (www.newmyths.com). Aside from 18 years as a technical and science writer, she has taught science in Boston Public Schools, developed curricula for STEM education, and taught Preschool Chef, a cooking class for children ages 3-5. A native New Mexican and Latina geek, she now lives near Salem, MA with her husband and two daughters. This is her debut novel.